Night game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park; Night game drive is an adventurous activity which involves visitors exploring the Mweya peninsula at night with spot light torches for clear viewing of nocturnal animals which become active at night. Queen Elizabeth national park is the second largest national park in Uganda located in western region in for districts namely Kasese, Rubirizi, Kamwenge and Rukungiri.
Queen Elizabeth national park is famously known for harboring the tree climbing lions in Ishasha sector and other animals like buffaloes, elephants, waterbucks, leopards, Uganda kobs, bushbucks, warthogs, giant forest hogs, topi, hippos, primates like chimpanzees, blue monkeys, red tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, olive baboons and over 600 recorded bird species. Apart from Queen Elizabeth national park, night game drives in Uganda are also done in Murchison falls national park and Lake Mburo national park.
Night game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park are only restricted to Mweya peninsula because the Kasenyi plains receive many visitors during the day.
During the night game drives which start at around 6pm after dinner, you will be able to explore the savannah plains in Mweya peninsula in comfortable 4 WD safari vehicles with spotlight torches with the company of an armed park ranger who will help you to spot different nocturnal animals like leopards, lions, civets, genets, serval cats, banded mongoose, view hippos feeding, bush babies among others. During the night game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park, you will be able to enjoy stunning views of the stars and view other animals like buffaloes, waterbucks, elephants, bushbucks among others.
Cost of a night game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park
A night game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park costs 30 USD per person for foreign non residents, 20 USD per person for foreign residents and 50,000 UGX per person for East African citizens when using a private safari vehicle. When using Uganda Wildlife Authority vehicle, a night game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park costs 40 USD per person for foreign non residents, 35 USD per person for foreign residents and 40,000 USD per person for East African citizens. When using private safari vehicle, only pre-registered vehicles will undertake the night game drives and use of Uganda Wildlife Guides is mandatory for night game drive.
Best time to go for a night game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park
Night game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park can be done anytime throughout the year though the best time is during the dry season in the months of june to September and December to February. During the dry season, Queen Elizabeth national park receives less rainfall therefor game tracks will be dry and passable and vegetation will be thin which helps you to view the nocturnal animals clearly.
Where to stay during your safari in Queen Elizabeth national park
There are a number of accommodations in Queen Elizabeth national park where you can stay during your safari. The accommodations range from budget, midrange and luxury including Kazinga channel view resort, Engiri game lodge and campsite, Irungu forest safari lodge, Marafiki safari lodge, Mweya safari lodge, Kasenyi safari camp, Pumba safari cottages, Park view safari lodge, Enganzi lodge, Elephant plains lodge, Buffalo safari lodge, Elephant hub lodge, Simba safari camp, Queen Elizabeth bush lodge, Lake Chibwera camp, Myeya hostels, Kyambura tented camp, Katara lodge, King fisher lodge, Kyambura gorge lodge, Kitandara hippo hill lodge, Ihamba safari lodge among others.
Other activities in Queen Elizabeth national park
Queen Elizabeth national park offers other interesting activities that you can engage in after night game drives including Boat cruise on Kazinga channel where you will be able to see large concentrations of hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, Day game drive in Kasenyi plains and Ishasha sector where you will be able to view the tree climbing lions, chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura gorge where you will be able to spend time with the chimpanzees, Lion tracking experience, guided nature walk, bird watching, community tour among others.
How to get to Queen Elizabeth national park
Queen Elizabeth national park is located in western part of Uganda and can be accessed by road transport means whereby you will drive from Kampala via Masaka, Mbarara or Mubende Fort Portal and then to the park headquarters which takes about 7 to 8 hours’ drive.
You can as well access Queen Elizabeth national park from Bwindi impenetrable national park which takes about 3 to 4 hours’ drive.
Queen Elizabeth national park can also be accessed by air transport means whereby you will book scheduled or charter flights with Aero link Uganda or Bar Aviation from Entebbe international airport to Kasese or Mweya airstrip and then connect to the park headquarters or lodge by road.
What to pack/ carry on a night game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park
There are items that travelers should pack when going on a night game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park including insect repellent to protect your body from biting insects like mosquitoes, warm sweater, spotlight torches for clear viewing of nocturnal animals, camera and extra batteries to take photos among others.
Night game drive is an amazing activity in Queen Elizabeth national park that can be combined with gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park. For more information about night game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park, do not hesitate to contact us at Achieve Global Safaris.
